Genevieve Angelson Set As Female Lead In Fox Series ‘Backstrom'; Christopher Denham Joins WGN America’s ‘Manhattan’

Genevieve Angelson is set as the female lead opposite Rainn Wilson in Fox’s new drama series, Backstrom. Created by Bones creator/executive producer Hart Hanson based on the Swedish book series by Leif G. W. Persson, Backstrom centers on Everett Backstrom (Wilson), an overweight, offensive, irascible detective who’s engaged in a constant struggle with his self-destructive tendencies. Angelson will play Backstrom’s second in command, Detective Nicole Gravely, tasked with not only keeping the unit together in the face of Backstrom’s behavior but ensuring that his unorthodox investigatory methods hold up in court. Angelson replaces Mamie Gummer, who played the role in the pilot — the only cast change in the project’s transition from CBS, where it was piloted last season, to Fox, where it recently received a 13-episode order for next season. Angelson, repped by UTA and Suskin Management, has an arc on Showtime’s House Of Lies and was in the Tony-winning play Vanya And Sonya And Masha And Spike.

Christopher Denham has been cast as a series regular on WGN America’s Manhattan, the 13-episode drama series from writer Sam Shaw, director Thomas Schlamme, Skydance TV, Tribune Studios and Lionsgate TV. Set amid the clandestine mission to build the world’s first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, NM, Manhattan follows the brilliant but flawed scientists and their families. Denham (Argo, Shutter Island) will play Jim Meeks, a physics prodigy recruited to join the top-secret project and work under Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey). Daniel Stern, Rachel Brosnahan, Ashley Zukerman, Katja Herbers and Harry Lloyd co-star, and production is set to begin next month ahead of a planned July premiere. Denham is repped by UTA and Benderspink.